Beyond the message of solidarity and oneness shown at the prayers, today’s gathering was a testament to a growing reality: Uganda belongs to all of us. It has been powerful to see comrades from different political backgrounds standing together, united by a common dream: the dream of a new Uganda where justice and freedom abound; a new Uganda where power belongs to the people and not to a handful of oppressors.
The ongoing illegal detention of Dr. Besigye, Eron Kiiza, Bobi Young, Chairman Nyanzi, Yasin Ssekitoleko and other victims of political repression should remind us that under the Museveni dictatorship, no one is truly free. Today, it is Besigye; tomorrow, it could be any one of us.
The fear tactics, the military trials, the abductions—all these are desperate actions of a regime in its twilight. Dictator Museveni knows that his time is up. The more he tightens his grip, the more Uganda and its people slip from his control.
I call upon all comrades here and abroad to rise up and take action. We must do everything within our means to collapse dictator Museveni and his brutal regime. We must put our feet down and say "no more!" to this nonsense! Let us keep pushing, keep demanding, and never lose sight of the country we deserve. A new Uganda is within reach, but only if we stand and act as one.